The present invention relates to a medical image processing apparatus and to a medical network system including the medical image processing apparatus.
Radiation images are widely used in a diagnosis for sickness, and for the purpose of obtaining the radiation images, there is known a method wherein radiations emitted from a radiation exposure section and transmitted through an object are absorbed in a plate-shaped stimulable phosphor, then, the stimulable phosphor is scanned by a laser beam, for example, to be excited, and radiation energy (radiation image information) accumulated in the stimulable phosphor through its absorption are emitted as fluorescence, and this fluorescence is converted photoelectrically so that radiation images are read by obtaining radiation image signals (U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,527 and TOKKAISHO No. 55-12144). Patent No. Stimulable emitted light generated from the stimulable phosphor plate is converged by the scanning of the laser beam, then it is converted photoelectrically by a photo-multiplier and this electric signal is amplified, thus, radiation images are read based on the digital signal obtained by the conversion from the analog signal.
When an image file is sent from a medical image generating apparatus that reads and generates a medical image as stated above, and when a plurality of image files are sent to an image outputting apparatus for forming images on a film to output them, after the image file is received by an image processing apparatus and is processed therein, the image files are outputted in succession beginning with the forefront image file on the administration table called a queue. In this case, in the case of a multi-image format for forming plural image files on a film by arranging them with an image outputting apparatus, multi-image format images are registered on the queue after they are made, and the multi-image format images are outputted only when the images are continuous. Further, when making an image file for the purpose of outputting that is image-processed by an image outputting apparatus to be compatible with an output format, the image file for the purpose of outputting is made to be compatible with an output format for each target of output for the image outputting apparatus.
In the case of the multi-image format, however, it is necessary to make a multi-image format image file separately from a plurality of original images because multi-image format images are registered after they are made in advance, resulting in necessity of additional capacity on a memory for a separate file, and changes of the original images are not reflected after the multi-image format images are made.
When continuous images are outputted on a multi-image format basis, it is necessary for a user to make the continuous images to be registered with a queue, taking the order of the images into consideration, which results in complicated operations for the registration.
Further, in the case of outputting an image to a plurality of image outputting apparatuses, making an image file to be compatible with an outputting mode for each target for output is wasteful consumption of memory capacity and is time-consuming, which is not efficient occasionally.